The Legend of Uru Drowbiter
by Razell
Summary: The first two chapters of my original story, dealing with how Uru got his name.
1. Chapter 1

The Legend of Uru Drowbiter

1

There had been no warning. The Drow had used invisibility and levitation spells to pass undetected into the Chitine village, literally appearing in mid-air, Lolth's own demons. Half the tribe was dead, and the enemy leader, a priestess, was making her way toward the heart of the village, the Temple of Lolth, while her warriors fought the still dazed villagers. The Choldrith, the spiritual leader of the village, moved to confront her. The Choldrith, Mala, was massive, bloated, white and spider-like, but she had power, she, too was a priestess of Lolth. The Spider Queen enjoyed pitting her worshipers against one another...

Uru watched with the other young from the relative safety of the temple. Bright light flashed from the Choldrith's hands, striking the elegant Drow, blinding Uru and the other children. When his vision returned he saw that the situation was not good, the Drow was using some sort of spell that had the Choldrith on her elbows and knees, racked with pain. Uru looked at the woman's face, filled with hateful pleasure at the suffering she inflicted upon her opponent, distracted by the dark thrill of sadism. _Distracted_. Uru pounced, wrapping his four spindly arms around the Drow's slender form, and ripping into her throat with his half-formed mandibles. The Drow's pleasure turned to surprise, fear, and pain. They fell together, Chitine and Drow, in a grisly dance. Uru saw the light fading from the woman's eyes. The other Drow saw it, too, and they _knew_. Lolth had abandoned them. The Choldrith rose, freed from the wracking spell, shrieking a war cry and the invaders tried to flee, tripping over bodies of victims they themselves had slain, carelessly crashing headlong into hidden traps and the newly emboldened Chitine. The predators were now the prey. When the battle ended, half the Chitine villagers were dead, but the entire Drow assault party had joined them.

Mala lifted Uru in her front limbs, "Lolth truly favors the bold, Uru." She looked around at the carnage with a mixture of anger, triumph and weariness, "You will be a great warrior, Uru. From this day on, you are Uru _Drowbiter_!"

Ten years later;

The Drowbiter licked one of his daggers tauntingly, "Next?" Two of the Drow broke and ran, cowards, unworthy of the honor of death. The third, smiling coldly, flashed Fairy Fire in Uru's eyes. Drow were so predictable, he would come from either behind or the side, never the front. Uru lashed his arms out in four directions, and the blade held in his lower left hand, the one at his back, struck hard leather, then soft flesh. There was a short cry, and the Drow fell heavily to the tunnel floor, joining his comrades. Uru looked at the dead Drow with contempt, it was a patrol, and all male. Though Drow males were brutal and formidable enemies, in Uru's eyes they were just pitiful blade fodder. Females ruled all areas of Drow life, males were only tolerated for their fighting ability, breeding stock and bedding pleasure. Uru shuddered at the thought of Drow mating, and the fact that many males did not survive such 'pleasures'. He, somewhere in his bitter heart, actually pitied them, the wretched males who suffered beneath the unyielding talons of a merciless matriarchy. At least among the Chitine status was decided by merit, not by sex. Except for the Choldrith. For some reason, The Blessed of Lolth were always born female.

Lolth was the ultimate in anti-male bigotry. Killing a male Drow meant nothing to the Dark Elves, but killing a female had impact. Especially a male killing a female, only a female Drow would dare kill another female Drow. For a male Chitine, whom they viewed as inferior savages, to boldly kill a female Drow, upset their notion of the universe.

He _loved_ to upset them.

He remembered the Alhoon. The Undead Illithid had found sanctuary with his tribe for a time, driven from his own people by his practice of magic, a capital offense among the Illithids. (Though, being already dead, a death sentence would be pointless...) Uru had asked him many questions about the world outside of his village and the few miles of tunnels that comprised his world. The lich had been surprisingly open. He had learned much from the creature, Illithids had access to great wisdom, not all of it pleasant. He had taught Uru about the ways of the Drow, about the gods and demons, about _Selvetarm_.

Uru Drowbiter did not serve Lolth. Oh, he gave her lip service, but he actually served Selvetarm. Selvetarm was a warrior, like himself, forced to serve Lolth, like himself.

He was hungry. He looked down at the three dead Drow. Chitine weren't picky eaters, as long as it had flesh. He would eat, and bring the remainder to share with his village...

To be continued...

_Notes_:

_Uru Drowbiter_

Race- Chitine

Height- 3'7"

Weight- 55 pounds

Class- Fighter

Alignment- Chaotic Neutral

Patron Deity- Selvetarm

He really hates Lolth, but he has to pay her lip-service or be kicked out of his village. He serves Selvetarm in order to strengthen him against Lolth, not to aid The Spider Queen in any way. He is an adult. Like most Chitine, he eats just about anything but other Chitine and undead.

Selvetarm was killed during _The War of the Spider Queen_, but since this is my story, he's still alive.

A _Chitine_ is a small humanoid with four long, slender arms with an extra joint, thick mandibles jutting from their mouths, a horse-like mane of black or brown hair and black, multifaceted eyes. They have spinnerets where there navels should be, hairs on their feet and palms that allow them to climb walls, (Sound familiar?) They were originally slaves of the Drow, who turned them into the half-spider creatures they are now. Many managed to escape, but having been slaves to the Drow so long, the only deity they knew of was Lolth, so they worship her, and hope to become her chosen people by slaying all Drow. They worship Lolth differently from the Drow, males and females are equal, killing is frowned upon, and things are somewhat 'kinder and gentler' in general, though still evil.

_Choldrith_ are bloated, white, barely Chitine females who serve as divine proxies and spiritual leaders in the Chitine communities. They raise all the village children in the ways of Lolth. They have humanoid faces and eight long arms, with the first pair ending in functional hands, the rest, sharp claws. The have a leg-span of about 9'.

An _Alhoon_ is an Illithid lich, an undead sorcerer, something the Illithids don't tolerate.

_Alhoon, Chitine, Choldrith, Drow, Illithids, Lolth, Selvetarm_, etc... are copyright TSR.


	2. Chapter 2

The Legend of Uru Drowbiter

2

"You know," Uru stared the Duergar leader in the eyes, "I could simply kill all of you and take the mace for free." "You could try, lad, but I assure you that you'd most surely pay a hefty price." Uru laughed, but the grey dwarf just stroked his beard, frowning. Duergar had no sense of humor... "I'll pay ten silver coins and two drow daggers, that's worth enough for _several_ light maces in Skullport." "Where not_ in_ Skullport, long-arms." Uru sighed, it was bad business being so blatantly cheated, but it was worse business killing off your contacts, especially when you had so few of them. And it was a fine weapon, the Duergar, like most dwarves, were meticulous craftsmen. "Alright, fifteen silver and the daggers, no more." The Duergar considered "How about that fancy stone around you neck?" The Chitine resisted the urge to clasp the small, black talisman carved in the shape of a brain. It was an _Amulet of Protection_, given to him by his Alhoon friend, and had saved him several times from magical assaults by Drow Mages and Priestesses. One rule of the Underdark was to never let anyone know what you value most, because they'll take it, or try to. "You have my offer, take it, or you get nothing at all."

Uru Drowbiter looked over the mace carefully, he'd have loved to have owned a heavy mace, like his master's Venommace, but his size and strength just didn't permit it. A smaller, light mace would have to do. It was still deadly, a wicked little thing about the size of a Drow short sword with a heavily spiked head. He weighed it in his hands, then began to swing it in each hand, getting the feel of it. It was a lot like using a club, a weapon with which Uru was somewhat familiar, though, like most residents of the Underdark, he preferred blades to blunt force. But a mace was essential for a servant of Selvetarm.

He hooked the weapon to his belt and headed toward his web home. Uru effortlessly scaled the web-line that led to his compact little home of web and stone. Rank had it's privileges, Uru could have chosen to live in the center of the village, where it was safest, but what was the point of being a warrior if you hid behind others? So Uru chose to live on the fringes of the village, with the poorest, lowest-class, most expendable members of the community. His den was one open room, rough-hewn silk all around, littered with various items pilfered from dead, and sometimes, living Drow. Stealing from live Drow was almost as exciting as killing them. He slept here, ate here, plotted here...Gnawed bones, devoid of flesh, were simply thrown out the entry portal, piling up below the suspended home. He lay back in his silk bed and wondered about the Drow. Both Chitine and Drow worshiped Lolth, but hated and slew each other, how could Lolth maintain power while having her own worshipers kill each other? It made no sense. What about the Drow who worshiped Selvetarm, the_ Selvetargtlin_? Did they kill fellow servants of Selvetarm? He knew what priests of Selvetarm looked like, though he'd never seen one personally, strong males, clad in blood red robes, with long, braided hair ending in hardened lumps. Lumps made from dipping their braids in clotting blood...

Uru did have some sense of honor, even toward Drow, he wouldn't kill children, and he didn't care what Lolth thought about that. He wouldn't deliberately target an obviously poor, sick or enslaved Drow, there was no honor in such a killing. He killed to protect his village, to protect his people, to appease his god...What he dreamed of was one day storming a noble house of Menzoberranzan, sinking his fangs into some fat Matron Mother, of desecrating their temple and showing the Drow, showing Lolth herself, exactly how he felt.

Of course, Lolth already knew how he felt. She simply didn't care. He was beneath her notice... For now. And that hurt worst of all, the fact that his enemy didn't even care enough to hate him.

_Notes:_

Uru hates Drow mainly because they are Drow. He's been raised with the knowledge that the Drow would exterminate every single Chitine if they could, (_And most would_), and that the Chitine are Lolth's Chosen and should exterminate all Drow and Driders (_Highly unlikely_) He's not genocidal, he has standards and _some_ sense of honor and realizes that not all Drow are out to get his people. He's not necessarily _better_ than his peers, he just plays by his own rules, not theirs.

The laws of supply and demand apply everywhere, even the Underdark.

_Duergar_ are (Mostly) evil gray Dwarves who live in the Underdark, the Dwarven version of Drow...

Uru's _Amulet of Protection_ is a small, obsidian stone carved to resemble a humanoid brain, attached to a strong web necklace. It protects the wearer from magical and possibly psionic attack, but not physical ones. It's _not_ a holy symbol, and can't turn undead.

The _Venommace_ is a heavy mace carried by Selvetarm, it constantly drips deadly venom, hence it's name.

_Chitine, Driders, Drow, Duergar, Loth, Selvetarm, Selvetargtlin,_ etc... Copyright TSR


End file.
